Resume or LinkedIn: Which One to Choose for Job Applications?

Did you know that a whopping 87% of recruiters regularly use LinkedIn to scout for potential candidates?

That’s right. It’s not just for showing off your professional achievement or collecting endorsements but before you ditch resumes, remember that each job hunt tool has its superpowers.

While both your resume and your LinkedIn profile contain important facts about your career, they typically don’t reflect you the same in the anyway.

Your LinkedIn profile allows you to craft a more creative and personal narrative. It offers a platform to communicate your brand alongside your most important skills and experience.

Your resume is a customized document with a specific job objective.

The Traditional Resume: A Timeless Tool

Advantages

• Customize: A resume has a unique strength in that you can adapt it to match the job you are applying for. This enables you to bring out the best experiences and skills you have to tailor your suitability for the job to the prospective employer.
• Professionalism: A professional resume is a document that demonstrates your ability to communicate information well — a highly sought-after skill in many fields.
• Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS): Most large companies use ATS to get rid of the least qualified candidates by scanning resumes on keywords. These are systems that are made to go through your resume quickly and search and find keywords corresponding to the job description. A good resume creates a channel that allows you to bypass the initial stages, of the screening.

Limitations

• Static Nature: Resumes are static documents that require constant updates. Each time you gain a new skill or change jobs, you need to revise your resume accordingly.
• Limited Space: Resumes are typically one to two pages long, which can be limiting if you have extensive experience or numerous accomplishments to showcase.

LinkedIn: The Modern Professional Network

Advantages

• Dynamic and Comprehensive: LinkedIn profiles are dynamic, allowing you to update your information in real time. You can add multimedia elements like videos, presentations, and links to your work, providing a more comprehensive view of your skills and experiences.
• Networking Opportunities: LinkedIn is not just a digital resume; it's a networking platform. It allows you to connect with professionals in your industry, join groups, and participate in discussions, all of which can lead to job opportunities.
• Endorsements and Recommendations: LinkedIn provides a feature where colleagues and managers can endorse your skills and write recommendations. These endorsements add credibility to your profile and can positively influence hiring managers.
• Visibility: Recruiters actively use LinkedIn to find candidates. With more than 67 million companies listed on the site and 65 million people searching for jobs on LinkedIn every week, it’s no surprise to find out that 95 percent of recruiters regularly use LinkedIn. Having a strong LinkedIn profile increases your visibility to potential employers.

Limitations

• Privacy Concerns: If an individual uploads their detailed professional information online, this can raise privacy concerns. You might still retain your work history but your entire career history is kept private.
• Maintenance: Like a resume, a LinkedIn profile, needs to be updated. However, because LinkedIn is slightly more public, it can become a little demanding to maintain properly.

The Facts & Figures

• Recruiter Preferences: A survey by Jobvite in 2021 found that 87% of recruiters use LinkedIn to find or vet job candidates, compared to 55% who use traditional resumes. This indicates that while resumes are still important, LinkedIn is increasingly becoming a crucial tool in the recruitment process.
• Networking Impact: As per a study of 2024, 122 million people received an interview through LinkedIn with 35.5 million having been hired by a person they connected with on the site. So, it’s unsurprising that 101 Job applications are submitted through LinkedIn every second, and 6 people are hired every minute.

Choosing the Right Tool

The decision between using a resume or LinkedIn for job applications depends on several factors:

• Industry Norms: Some industries, particularly more traditional ones like finance or law, may still prefer the formality of a resume. In contrast, tech and creative industries may value the comprehensive and dynamic nature of a LinkedIn profile.
• Job Application Process: If you're applying through a job portal that requires a resume upload, then a resume is essential. However, if you’re leveraging your network and connections, a strong LinkedIn profile could be more beneficial.
• Personal Branding: Your LinkedIn profile is a living document that represents your brand. If you’re actively building your brand and engaging with industry content, LinkedIn can be a powerful tool.

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The Bottom Line...

Both resumes and LinkedIn profiles have their place in the modern job application process. Resumes offer a concise and targeted way to present your qualifications, which is crucial for passing through ATS and meeting specific job requirements. LinkedIn, on the other hand, provides a broader platform for showcasing your professional journey, networking, and gaining visibility among recruiters.

In an ideal scenario, job seekers should maintain both a polished resume and an updated LinkedIn profile. This dual approach ensures you are well-prepared for various application processes and can leverage the strengths of both tools. Ultimately, the key is to understand the unique advantages of each and use them strategically to enhance your job search efforts.